Pneumatic-carrier-declerating apparatus.



A. KOENIG.

FNEUMATIC CARRIER DECELERATING APPARATUSr APPLICATION FILED JAH. 6. |911Patented Feb I2, 19H3.

rirrrrnn strane narrar ernten.

AUGUST KOENIG, 0F LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB. TO THE LAMSONCOMPANY, OFBOSTQN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

` PNEUMATIC-CARRIER-.DECELERATING APPARATUS.

ll,-256,024l.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. il?, MMS..

Application Vfiled. January 6, 1917. Serial No. 140,930.

ATo zZZVwL'om t may Concern.'

LLowell, in the county of Middlesex and `State of Massachusetts,liaveinvented' certain new and useful Improvements in'IJneumatic CarrierDecelerating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

lS-'Ihis invention relates to pneumatic despatch tube apparatus of thepressure type and more especially to an improved means for effectingthedeceleration of Huid presi sure propelled carriers, preferably justprior .tothe delivery of the same. It is usually vextremely desirable toeffect aquiet4 and substantially momentumless Vdischarge of carriers atthe station for which they are intended and, especially in despatchsystems in which the carrier `is propelled by conipressed air, it hasbeen found difiicult to deprive carriers, being delivered, of theirmomentum, relieving .them of the pressure of the air therebehind anddepositing them substantially `without shocker noise in or upon asuitable repository, and this without interi ference with certainty ofoperation.

Indeed, to assure a positive Ydelivery of each carrier, regardless ofthe varying pressure conditions in the system, itl has been commontoisacriiice quietness to a certain extent; the carriersbemg permitted.to

`emerge from, the 4deliveryterminal .with f some r force.

One of the principalobjects of the present invention, therefore, is` toeiect the desired certainty of delivery of carriers while 'sub-Vstantially eliminating noise and `jar at their discharge, wear and tearon the apparatus,

and like accompanying objectionable `incidents,hitherto uiidesirablycommon.

I have also aimed to accomplish the desired results in :the simplestpossible manner, and preferably without the provision of any movingparts, other than the carrier per se.

. .These and otherobjects of the invention will be hereinafter referredto and the novel combinations of means and elements whereby said objectsmay beattained, will be more particularly pointed out in .the appended Yclaims.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof and in which likeref- `the `spirit of the invention, I desire to `be limited only by thescope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of an improved carrier delivery apparatus.

Y Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of an air outlet bend whichconstitutes a part. of said apparatus; and

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken online III-III of Fig. 2.

As the invention more particularly concerns kpressure pneumatic despatchtube apparatus, the sections of transit tubingl, shown in Figs. l and 2,have the carrier propelling current of air traveling therethrough inthedirection of the arrows; and the carrier 2 will emerge from said tube linto what I terni an air outlet bend,`3. As

A best shown in Fig. 2, this bend may be one of about 90, and theinterior diameter of the carrier conducting conduit provided therein iscaused to increase gradually from the entrance end of the bend around tosubstantially midway ofthe length thereof, and

Vthereafter to gradually decrease until the the latter.

The carrier upon its emergencefrom said bend preferably enters a shortdownwardly directed tube section 1, which in turn delivers to a chute 5.This latter again preferably has a very short radius of curvature, ascompared to that of chutes or shelves coininonly .used in similarpositionsin pneumatic despatch tube apparatus; and this chute.furthermore does not normally serve to retain carriers in place therein,but acts to direct said carriers toward a trough-like repository 6,which may conveniently be made a part of the desk 7 at which theoperator or clerk is stationed.

yThe carrier delivering end 5 of this chute is also preferably`up-turned so that the chute as a whole provides means for rotating thecarrier about its center of gravity, during its transit through thechute, through somewhat more than 90.

I particularly desire to callV attention to the abruptness of curvatureof both the outlet bend 3 and this delivery chute;` and the reasons forthis will be hereinafter pointed out.

The bend 3 is preferably made in two parts, which may be connectedtogether by bolts 8, as shown in Figs. Qand 3; and the principalpeculiarity of this bend resides Y in the fact that openings 9 areprovided 'path of the air current entering the bend from the tubel;while further the' rib 3 which servesv to guide Vthe carriers duringtheir passage past the openings 9, is so formed that the carrierengaging surface 10 thereof is reduced, as shown in Fig. 3, to aminimum, it being best made just suiiiciently wide to avoid thepresentation of a sharp edge which would tend to cut into the felt,leather or rubber heads of the carrier. v

In order to give the blade-like rib proper thickness, in spite of thisprovision of a very narrow carrier-guiding surface 10, saidrib may betapered or flared outwardly, as indicated in Fig. 3, but it ispreferable that such flaring or thickening of said rib toward its outeredge be not excessive. The reason for this construction is that, asaresult of experimentation, I have found that if any material width ofsurface (corresponding to that designated 10, but mate- Y rially wider)be presented to the air current which propels the carriers, such surfacewill t act to deflect quite a considerable part of said air currentdownwardly toward the tube 4 and thereby prevent the carrier fromV beingentirely relieved from the propulsive effort of the air therebehind.` Inorder to get the best results, in so far as a quiet de livery ofcarriers is concerned, it is essential that this pressure of air behindthe carrier be as completely removed as possible, prior to the entranceof the carrier into the tube 4, or any equivalent downwardly directeddelivery element.

By thus reducing the carrier guiding sur? Y face 10, to a minimumcompatible with thel avoidance of undue wear and tear upon the carrierspassing along and guided by such surface, I substantially eliminate alltendency for the air current to follow the carrier and cause said aircurrent to pass out freely through the openings 9, as indicated by thearrows directed outwardly from said openings in Fig. l.

The operation of the deviceas a whole is as follows: Carriers propelledby compressed air therebehind, pass out of the transit tube 1 into theturn 3, and are thrust against the narrow surface 10by their mo mentum,coupled with the air pressure therebehind, until the openings 9 havebeen eX- posed to the air current by the travel ofthe carrier aroundsaid bend, and by reason of lthe sharpness of the bend and the frictionconsequently `engendered between the heads of the carrier and saidnarrow surface-of contact l0, the momentumofsaid carrier is 'Ysubstantially absorbed. By the time that the carrier has completelycleared the openings 9, owing to the disposition of these openingsdirectly in the path ofthe air c ur` rent, said carrier will bepractically entirely relieved from anypropulsive effort of the air, andthe air current will pass with the utmostfreedom out throughl saidopenings. Thereafter, as the carrier-falls through the shorttube'section 4, it will of courseftendrto regain some momentum by reasonofthe action o f gravity, but such regained Inomentum will be'practically completely absorbed or neutralized durigthe passage of` thecarrier Athrough the short and abruptly turned chute 5; with theresultvthatrrsaid A carrier simply falls lightly' and easily clear ofthe chute and into the repository 6. y

I may add that it was really surprising to observe during the courseof'experimentation uponV apparatus of. this. description, how the aircurrent does tend to :follow around curved surfaces of any Ymaterialwidth lying in its path, in spite of the pro vision of openings uponeither'side .of said Vsurface through which, one `would be con- Yjvinced, the air should'certainly ind suilicient opportunity to freely nexpand.

Havingthus described my invention, 'what` Iclaim is:' i a ,g y Y l. Incarrier deceleratmg apparatus for pneumatic despatch tube systems, thecom-V bination of a transit tube through which carriers are propelled bythepressure of compressed a1r therebehind,:with anV abruptly curvedair-outlet. turn casing into which said carriers pass. from said-tube,said casing comprising carrier guiding means Vfor rotating carriers incourse of transitY therepast about theircenters of gravity and the partsof saidguiding means which, actually engage. and guide the carriers,being re" Yduced substantially to an edge, said guiding means being incross-section substantially that of a blade, the turnin said casingbeing further directly in the path of saidy air current and the spacethereinthrough which the carriers pass, being in unrestrictedycommunication, about said` blade-like guiding means, with the outer air.

2. Pneumatic despatch tube apparatus comprising a tube through whichcarriers?- are despatched by compressed air, a carrier deceleratmg bendconnected to said tubeto receive Vcarriers therefrom, said bend hav-Ving on its outer side and in the path ofthe air current emerging fromsaid'tube, a sin#- gle narrow arcuate carrierguiding rib and Vairoutletsupon both sides of the latter.

3. Pneumatic despatch e tube apparatus comprlslng a tubethrough which4carriers are despatched by'compressed air, acarr-iez* decelerating bendconnected to said tube to parts join being substantially that of said lereceive carriers therefrom, said bend having rib.

on its outer side and in the path of the In testimony whereof I haveaffixed my air current emerging from said tube, a narsignature, in thepresence of two Witnesses. row arcuate carrier-guiding rib and air Y 4outlets upon both sides of the latter, said AUGUST KOENIG' bend beingmade of two curved trough- Witnesses: shaped parts and having means tofasten THOMAS H. VARNUM, said parts together, the plane in which saidEARL M. GRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patente,

' Washington, D. C.

